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- 817
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I confess right away that if I wasn't making payments on an Elise, I wouldn't have considered an S2k. But for whatever reason, I'm glad I did consider it because it turned out to be a good car and a great value.
I bought a 2003 S2000 with 32k miles as a CPO. I quickly (read: immediately) replaced the 16" wheels with tractor tires with some 18" OZ Ultraleggeras running 225/40 fronts and 255/35 rears. Outside diameter remains unchanged and is almost identical to the 18" setup on the 986S. That tells you how goofy the 16"s looked.
I've had the car for a few days now and I've had a chance to get used to it. Maybe someone else here will need $20k sportscar some day so I thought the review might be worth the keystrokes. Especially since this is the first review that I know of that isn't coming from the perspective that you nutty Pcar guys wasted your money. If you don't know, I have owned a 2000 Boxster S, a 2003 Boxster S, an E46 M3 with SMG and competition package, and most recently an Elise with Exige Cup wheels/tires. Of this group, I only liked the Boxes and the Elise so I'll focus my comparisons there.
The S2k is very very pointy. The turn in is crazy fast and crazy grippy. The car actually oversteers on throttle. And I don't mean from low speeds. I honestly don't know what to do about it save for a new front sway bar and/or an alignment. IMO, more throttle at speed should decrease oversteer not increase it. I can't really say too much here until I learn how to drive this car and possibly after making said suspension changes. It's definitely fun but it's disconcerting to not be able to just count on understeer when you are doing all the right things to get it.
The interior is crap to look at. The instrument cluster is the worst part. Just crap. But mainly it's just uninspired compared to a Porsche. Compared to an Elise, it's okay. Of course, all of this is subjective. Not subjective is a discussion of space. There's more shoulder room than an Elise, less than a Boxster. There is less foot room than either. The seats are more comfortable than the Elise and almost as supportive. Way more supportive than Boxster seats. The Boxster Sport Seats might be as good but I never had those so I can't tell ya.
The shifter vibrates when driving. There's something magical about the way the Boxster shifter is perfectly still. However, the shifter feel and engagement of each gear is the best I've ever had. It's even more direct and not nearly as stiff as the B&M short shifter for the Box. The Elise shifter is a joke. It's as sloppy as the Box shifter but it's also mobile!! That's right, the housing moves under load so 3rd and 5th are always moving side to side.
The S2k engine might be the best I've ever had. Obviously, it's not the most powerful. The M3 would have that honor. But that engine made such an awful noise that it was unpleasant to use at any load or rpm. The S2k is soooo silky smooth that 4k or 5k sounds and feels both sporty and graceful. The Box engine only gave me chills over 5k. The Elise only over 6k. The Box was pretty refined but not nearly as smooth as the S2k. The Elise was the grumpiest engine of the bunch but had the best fireworks at the top. The best way I can put it is that though the S2k is hardly the fastest or most powerful engine of this group, it does a better job entertaining at the widest possible range of revs. The low rpms may be lacking torque but they're not annoying. On the contrary, it's nice to have usable rpms in which to relax. Quick sidenote: I find the talk of how unusable the low rpms are as completely unfounded. Normal driving (even normal passing) is easy at 4-6k rpm. You need to be kind of angry or in a really big hurry to actually need anything over 6k.
The top lowers and raises almost instantaneously. Though, you need to latch 2 hooks rather than one. And it's annoying that closing the top lowers the windows all the way. Latching the top does not automatically raise the windows. And the window buttons do not have a 1-touch up feature, just a 1-touch down. So the shutdown process is slower and more annoying than driving a Boxster. Of course, it's way better than the Elise. Plus, the open top is available without sacrificing any trunk space unlike the Elise. Like the Elise, the interior is not so nice or expensive that I feel compelled to keep the top closed all the time.
The pedals are as hard to heel-toe as the Box and way harder than in the Elise. The Elise is the only car I've driven where I can hit both pedals without lifting my heel from the floor. It's so much easier when your foot is planted and you just rotate your knee outward to blip. I could never do that in the Box and suspect I'll never get it in the S2k.
The steering is too light in the S2k. I've been driving without power steering and with R compounds but the S2k is unusually light. I'd love a bit more feedback and a bit more resistance. Maybe when I upgrade tires.
The Elise is the most fun out of the bunch but also the hardest to relax in. The Boxster S in any trim is the most refined and the 987S might be the most capable. Both cars are way more capable than the S2k but it is a hoot to drive, it's very affordable, reliable, and has plenty of charisma.
S2k - Best value
Elise - Sexiest by a million
987S - Basically the world's most flawless sportscar.
I bought a 2003 S2000 with 32k miles as a CPO. I quickly (read: immediately) replaced the 16" wheels with tractor tires with some 18" OZ Ultraleggeras running 225/40 fronts and 255/35 rears. Outside diameter remains unchanged and is almost identical to the 18" setup on the 986S. That tells you how goofy the 16"s looked.
I've had the car for a few days now and I've had a chance to get used to it. Maybe someone else here will need $20k sportscar some day so I thought the review might be worth the keystrokes. Especially since this is the first review that I know of that isn't coming from the perspective that you nutty Pcar guys wasted your money. If you don't know, I have owned a 2000 Boxster S, a 2003 Boxster S, an E46 M3 with SMG and competition package, and most recently an Elise with Exige Cup wheels/tires. Of this group, I only liked the Boxes and the Elise so I'll focus my comparisons there.
The S2k is very very pointy. The turn in is crazy fast and crazy grippy. The car actually oversteers on throttle. And I don't mean from low speeds. I honestly don't know what to do about it save for a new front sway bar and/or an alignment. IMO, more throttle at speed should decrease oversteer not increase it. I can't really say too much here until I learn how to drive this car and possibly after making said suspension changes. It's definitely fun but it's disconcerting to not be able to just count on understeer when you are doing all the right things to get it.
The interior is crap to look at. The instrument cluster is the worst part. Just crap. But mainly it's just uninspired compared to a Porsche. Compared to an Elise, it's okay. Of course, all of this is subjective. Not subjective is a discussion of space. There's more shoulder room than an Elise, less than a Boxster. There is less foot room than either. The seats are more comfortable than the Elise and almost as supportive. Way more supportive than Boxster seats. The Boxster Sport Seats might be as good but I never had those so I can't tell ya.
The shifter vibrates when driving. There's something magical about the way the Boxster shifter is perfectly still. However, the shifter feel and engagement of each gear is the best I've ever had. It's even more direct and not nearly as stiff as the B&M short shifter for the Box. The Elise shifter is a joke. It's as sloppy as the Box shifter but it's also mobile!! That's right, the housing moves under load so 3rd and 5th are always moving side to side.
The S2k engine might be the best I've ever had. Obviously, it's not the most powerful. The M3 would have that honor. But that engine made such an awful noise that it was unpleasant to use at any load or rpm. The S2k is soooo silky smooth that 4k or 5k sounds and feels both sporty and graceful. The Box engine only gave me chills over 5k. The Elise only over 6k. The Box was pretty refined but not nearly as smooth as the S2k. The Elise was the grumpiest engine of the bunch but had the best fireworks at the top. The best way I can put it is that though the S2k is hardly the fastest or most powerful engine of this group, it does a better job entertaining at the widest possible range of revs. The low rpms may be lacking torque but they're not annoying. On the contrary, it's nice to have usable rpms in which to relax. Quick sidenote: I find the talk of how unusable the low rpms are as completely unfounded. Normal driving (even normal passing) is easy at 4-6k rpm. You need to be kind of angry or in a really big hurry to actually need anything over 6k.
The top lowers and raises almost instantaneously. Though, you need to latch 2 hooks rather than one. And it's annoying that closing the top lowers the windows all the way. Latching the top does not automatically raise the windows. And the window buttons do not have a 1-touch up feature, just a 1-touch down. So the shutdown process is slower and more annoying than driving a Boxster. Of course, it's way better than the Elise. Plus, the open top is available without sacrificing any trunk space unlike the Elise. Like the Elise, the interior is not so nice or expensive that I feel compelled to keep the top closed all the time.
The pedals are as hard to heel-toe as the Box and way harder than in the Elise. The Elise is the only car I've driven where I can hit both pedals without lifting my heel from the floor. It's so much easier when your foot is planted and you just rotate your knee outward to blip. I could never do that in the Box and suspect I'll never get it in the S2k.
The steering is too light in the S2k. I've been driving without power steering and with R compounds but the S2k is unusually light. I'd love a bit more feedback and a bit more resistance. Maybe when I upgrade tires.
The Elise is the most fun out of the bunch but also the hardest to relax in. The Boxster S in any trim is the most refined and the 987S might be the most capable. Both cars are way more capable than the S2k but it is a hoot to drive, it's very affordable, reliable, and has plenty of charisma.
S2k - Best value
Elise - Sexiest by a million
987S - Basically the world's most flawless sportscar.
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